I'm already a Great Luo Golden Immortal, how come you're only Martial Saints?

Ning Chen and Senior Brother Dayan waited for about half an hour. Then, drums and music resounded inside and outside the hall, and the celestial music suddenly became solemn and grand.

At the highest point of the Crystal Palace, on the jade steps, thousands of auspicious wisps of mist and myriad rays of light shone.

An old dragon, wearing a nine-dragon crown and an ochre-yellow robe with gold trim, with a dragon's head and a human body, slowly appeared, surrounded by many dragon sons and grandsons, a turtle prime minister, and a sea patrol yaksha.

The visitor was none other than Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea!

He surveyed the grand scene of thousands of immortals coming to offer their congratulations, both inside and outside the hall, his face beaming with smiles.

"Fellow immortals and fellow cultivators! I am deeply honored by your presence at my West Sea Dragon Palace! Today is the old dragon's birthday, nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine years old! As the saying goes, one should not celebrate nine years, but rather ten, so I have prepared this simple banquet a year in advance, with a little wine and water, to invite you all to join in this grand celebration and to commemorate your heavenly birthday..."

The Dragon King spoke in a deep, resonant voice, offering auspicious words and thanking the guests from all sides.

Just as the Dragon King was speaking of celebrating the Heavenly Birthday, among the guests at the outer table, some audacious and nosy rogue cultivator, perhaps having drunk too much fine wine, suddenly interrupted loudly with a laugh:

"Your Majesty the Dragon King is right! But the rule of 'nine over ten' is a matter for mortals! You, venerable immortal, enjoy a long and prosperous life. What harm would it do to live to nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine years old, let alone nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine years old? Besides..."

"Just now we saw that the two underworld messengers, Black and White Impermanence, came to wish you a happy birthday! Could it be that they could arrest you and send you to the underworld? Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, a burst of laughter erupted from the banquet hall outside the hall.

Upon hearing this, Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea, was not angry at all; instead, he chuckled.

"Fellow immortal, you jest! With the blessings and protection of all of you, this old dragon will surely live as long as the heavens and enjoy a carefree life with you all!"

He then raised the glass cup in his hand.

"Come, come, fellow immortals, let us drink this cup to the brim! Let us celebrate this auspicious occasion!"

As the Dragon King raised his cup, guests inside and outside the hall also stood up and raised their cups in celebration.

The sounds of clinking glasses and celebratory music completely filled the vast Crystal Palace!

In a corner of the inner hall, Daoist Dayan's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he whispered to Ning Chen.

"Junior brother, now's the time! The Old Dragon King has finished speaking, we can begin. Don't overindulge in the wine, eat your fill first!"

With lightning speed, the jade chopsticks in his hand reached for a plate of coral chalcedony brimming with spiritual energy.

Ning Chen was not to be outdone. The two brothers devoured the table full of rare delicacies in a whirlwind, including many spiritual ingredients. After Ning Chen ate them, he would receive a divine realm prompt.

[Physique +1!]

[Constitution +1!]

……

As Ning Chen ate, he thought to himself, "The birthday banquet at the West Sea Dragon Palace is already so extravagant."

The benefits of attending the Peach Banquet would be unimaginable.

He dared not slack off and continued fighting, shaking off his back teeth.

"Well, this Dragon King's birthday banquet wasn't a waste of time, was it...?"

Although Ning Chen didn't want to admit it, his body language betrayed him, and he nodded.

"Brother Dayan sighed."

"Senior brother, I know my aptitude is insufficient. I can only try to glimpse a sliver of light through this Autumn Wind Technique. Junior brother, although your aptitude is exceptional, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. You must not be arrogant!"

"Mmm..."

Ning Chen's mouth was full of food, and he felt a deep respect for his senior brother, who would stop at nothing to pursue the Great Dao.

These few bits of dough are fine to have!

Senior Brother Dayan was quite pleased with himself. When the Patriarch learned of his name, Daoist Qiufeng, at Fangcun Mountain, he was quite displeased.

Today, I brought my junior brother to the banquet, finally allowing me to show off my senior brother's prestige.

In the future, please take my junior brother to a feast more often, so that I will not be alone on my path!

......

After Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea, finished his speech, the atmosphere of the birthday banquet reached its peak.

Immediately afterwards, instead of returning to his seat, he picked up his jade cup and, surrounded by his sons and grandsons, the Turtle Prime Minister, and a retinue of ceremonial officials, began to toast each table.

Ao Run was radiant with health, walked steadily, and spoke politely. At each table, he not only raised a toast with the guests to celebrate, but also made a point of introducing the three dragon princes accompanying him.

"Fellow immortals, this is my eldest son, Prince Moang!"

The Dragon King pointed to a dragon prince who was tall and strong with a square face and wore silver armor.

"Now, as the Grand Admiral of the Western Sea Navy, he guards a region of the sea for the Heavenly Court. He can be considered young and promising, and has achieved considerable experience!"

Prince Moang bowed with clasped hands, exuding an air of authority that drew nods of praise from many immortals present.

When he turned to his second son, Ao Run's smile widened, tinged with smugness.

"This is my second son, Ao Rong! He has just been appointed as the supervisor of the Imperial Horse Stables in the Heavenly Court. Although it is a minor post, it is a good place to temper one's character."

Ao Rong appeared quite refined, dressed in a brocade robe, with a gentle smile and proper manners, displaying the demeanor of a gentleman.

Many immortals nodded in agreement and praised it.

"To serve as an official in the Heavenly Court, a position of great importance, promises a bright future!"

Finally, the Dragon King's gaze fell upon the Third Prince Ao Lie, who stood beside him in a white robe and possessed the most handsome and upright features.

At this moment, the Third Prince looks to be only fourteen or fifteen years old, still the young dragon!

The old Dragon King looked at Ao Lie with boundless favor and expectation.

"This is my good-for-nothing third son, Ao Lie! He is intelligent, and although his temperament is a bit unruly, his aptitude is excellent and his talent is extraordinary! The old dragon has high hopes for him, hoping that he will bring glory to the Western Sea Sect and achieve great things in the future!"

Ning Chen sat in a corner of the inner hall, watching the Dragon King lead his family around the tables, introducing his sons to the many immortals, and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

This Dragon King of the West Sea appears to be amiable on the surface, but in reality, he is the most cunning and manipulative dragon in the Journey to the West world!

The eldest son, Mo'ang, will one day take charge of the military power in the Western Sea; the second son will enter the core department of the Heavenly Court; and the third son, who has the greatest potential, will become Tang Sanzang's mount, successfully completing the eighty-one tribulations without any disasters or difficulties, becoming the Bodhisattva Guangli of the Eight Heavenly Dragons, and entering the core circle of Buddhism!

As you can see, on the journey to the West, monsters kidnapped Tang Sanzang, captured Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie, and fought and killed Sun Wukong.

But no matter which monster it was, they never touched a single hair on the white dragon's head, not because they didn't want to eat the dragon's meat and liver.

In reality, it was the Dragon King of the West Sea who had already helped his third son establish a vast network of connections!

The West Sea is adjacent to the Spirit Mountain; this move is quite ingenious!

Later, when Tang Sanzang went on his pilgrimage to the West, it was this seemingly kind-hearted West Sea Dragon King who sacrificed his own brother-in-law, the Jing River Dragon King, to make the journey possible!

Poor Jing River Dragon King, though he was killed in Wei Zheng's dream!

But as compensation, the Dragon King of the Jing River's nine good-for-nothing sons were all properly taken care of by their uncle, the Dragon King of the West Sea.

Four were appointed as the four Dragon Gods of the four rivers, namely the Yangtze River, the Yellow River, the Huai River, and the Ji River. The other four were placed in key positions in the Heavenly Court, Mount Ling, and the Dragon Palace of the East Sea.

Even the most useless youngest son, Tuolong, eventually managed to achieve enlightenment after surviving a perilous ordeal at the Blackwater River on his westward journey.

Taking advantage of the Great Tribulation of the Journey to the West, the Dragon King of the West Sea stuffed all his relatives into the system!

The Western Sea is right next to Mount Ling. The Golden-Winged Roc, the Buddha's uncle, devours five hundred dragons every day!

The Dragon King of the West Sea gave his entire family official positions, giving them formal government jobs, which was tantamount to granting them immunity from death.

No matter how arrogant the Golden-Winged Roc is, it dares not openly prey on the registered deities of the Heavenly Court or Mount Ling.

This cunning and long-term strategy is truly unparalleled!

Just as Ning Chen's thoughts were churning and he was filled with emotion.

The Dragon King of the West Sea's toasting procession had gradually moved towards their table.

As the figure clad in an ochre-yellow dragon robe drew closer, Ning Chen's heart suddenly raced. His senior brother Dayan's gift of a few wild peaches in a cloth bag was simply not presentable!

If this were revealed in public, how would I and my senior brother face each other?